It Worked!

After a week of nothing visiting the new feeder, I decided a new plan was called for.
The seed was starting to turn mouldy due to the heavy non stop rain we've had all week and the only birds I'd seen were Coal Tits.
So, I thought why not buy seed just for the Tits and re-filled it with Sunflower seeds.

Literally 10 minutes after I filled it, 3 Coal Tits appeared and dutifully helped themselves to the seeds - they've been taking it in turns for the past 3 hours!

I knew I could count on them.

And, it may attract Siskins and Finches, you never know!

New Feeder

I don't know why but I always feel a nervous anticipation whenever a new feeder is put up in our garden. I sit watching it impatiently waiting for something to land on it, having little bets with myself as to which bird will be the first! It's usually either the Coal Tit or Robin, but today nothing has ventured onto it, so far.

I hate to admit it but I've become complacent when it comes to our wildlife - I've been moaning for some weeks now that our garden is empty of all bird life, when in fact the Coal Tits have been down every day. These poor little things have to eat the equivalent of their own body weight in food EVERY DAY and they are rewarded with me sighing...."oh it's only a Coal Tit"! I forget that 4 years ago I hadn't ever even seen a Coal Tit before!

I'm so desperate to attract new birds into our garden that I'm beginning to ignore the regular, faithful ones!

How can I forget the Robin who sings his heart out every morning at first light? Or the Blackbirds who keep diving into the undergrowth to eat berries?

Some people have never even seen any of these birds before.

I ought to be grateful for what birds we do get and not impatient for the ones we don't.
And anyway winter is just around the corner.........who knows what that may bring in?!

Magpies

I love Magpies, I think they are one of our most beautiful and charasmatic birds. I don't believe in any of that superstitious twoddle and think they get a lot of bad press (undeservedly)!
Yes, they may take chicks but that's nature, they have their own young to feed too - it's not as though they're like cats (don't get me started on them!).
I think they are quite comical birds when you watch them hop around, they're kind of like the "geezers" of the bird world!

Their irredescent feathers are gorgeous especially when the sunlight catches them just right. I had 5 in my garden today, all chasing each other round & "playing", until a Rook came down and told them where to go!

(The photos a bit blurry, I'm afraid)

Peanut & Cyril

Well..."him indoors" has finally got round to sorting out the program used for editing videos and so I present to you Cyril & Peanut feeding together....finally!

Apologies for the shaky footage - I must admit I'm no David Attenborough!

New Menu

Well, I've tried everything today... cheese... coconut... apple... seed... nuts... raisins.... the birds have more of a selection than I do! I had a couple of the Chaffinches come back (though fleetingly!),

and the Robin was still doing his Hummingbird technique, and even the Coal Tit brought his mate along so I should be grateful.

Of course, looking on the bright side my feeders aren't that busy because there's still plenty of natural food around for them......but the selfish side of me wants them to bombard my garden!
I don't think I've ever been this impatient for the cold weather to arrive!

Wexford Wildfowl

Decided yesterday that it was much too sunny to sit and watch empty feeders in the garden (empty of birds not food!), so a trip to Wexford Wildfowl Reserve was called for.
Plenty of White-Fronted Geese (or Lesser White-Fronted?) were there, about a hundred or so have arrived so far with thousands more expected over the next few weeks.

I've never really been into wildfowl that much but I must admit the colourings of their feathers are beautiful (I am now a fan of Barnacle Geese).

This one wondered what feathers tasted like....

We wandered around for a few hours soaking up the autumnal sun, saw a Rook trying to be a weather vane!

Then we headed down on to the beach which is literally a carpet of Mussels - I have never seen so many! No wonder the Oyster Catchers were plentiful.

On the way back home, we called in at Blackditch and watched a Kestrel hovering over the field in front of the hide for about 10 minutes, so all in all, it was a very enjoyable day out.
Came back home to see the ever loyal Coal Tit visiting the nut feeder before dark. - judging by the amount of seed still in the feeder, it looks like he may have been the only visitor all day!

Blackditch

Well, the peanut butter is still intact (untouched!) but the good news is that 5 Long Tailed Tits passed through the garden this morning, so at least I know they're still around AND there were 2 Goldcrests chasing each other through the bushes - things may be looking up!

I know this is a back garden blog but I went to our local nature reserve today (Blackditch) and saw a huge amount of dragonflies, I found them so pretty I just had to share! I admit I don't know what type they are or anything about them, I'm afraid.

There were also at least 30-40 Goldfinches in the trees eating the seeds from the pine cones, I've never seen so many before so it was a real treat!

Pocket Rockets!

Why does it always seem there's about 50 Coal Tits in the garden, when there is in fact just 3?
They're like miniature rockets zipping everywhere!

Can't complain though, they're about the only regular visitor we have at the moment (of the feathered kind- Cyril & Peanut are still feeding every night!)
I tried a different tactic and put out a new seed feeder and half coconut in the hope of attracting the birds back.......but not one thing has landed on the seed feeder so far!
The Coal Tit is loving the coconut though and the Robin keeps trying to have a go on it. He seems to think he's a Humming Bird and just hovers in front of it whilst jabbing his beak in (he's the one exit stage left in the photo below!)

I'm trying the old "Peanut butter on the tree trunk" trick to see what can be tempted...........

Where are they?

Has anybody else noticed a shortage of activity at the feeders this weekend? I don't know if the birds know something I don't but the only activity on the feeders this weekend has been the ever reliable Robin!
Not a titter of anything else! Maybe their food source is a bit more abundant than a few days ago, maybe more insects are around or something? Who knows?
All I know is that I've been poised with my camera aimed at the bird feeders for almost 2 days and now have cramp..................not that there's anything wrong with a Robin, of course!

Cyril

Meet Cyril - that's what we've named our newest visitor! He was eating the remaining bird seed left over from the Chaffinches & Robin.
He's already made an impression on me - he has such a character about him, quite mischievious. He's met Peanut already, or rather they bumped into each other in the undergrowth - I don't know which one was more startled!

Apologies for the blurred photo but lighting was poor and it was taken through a window! Hope to take some better ones soon.